Marian Arlene Juvan passed away peacefully on Friday, Nov. 15. She was born on Jan. 21, 1937, in Salt Lake City, to Austin and Annie Nelson.
Her first year was spent in a small log cabin nestled in the hills along the Hamsfork River, where the Nelson family homesteaded.
The family moved several times, living in Kemmerer, before settling on a ranch in Fontenelle. During their three years there, Marian and her siblings attended a small country school with just six other children.
After selling the Fontenelle ranch, the family lived in Bountiful, Utah, while Austin worked for his father on the Hamsfork ranch. In 1953, they returned to Kemmerer, eventually moving permanently to Hamsfork ranch in 1960.
While attending Kemmerer High School, Marian worked at the Victory Theater and as a bookkeeper for Peterson Chevrolet. During her junior year, she began dating Donald Juvan, and the two were married on Feb. 14, 1956.
In 1972, Marian and Don purchased the Kemmerer Standard service station and the Chateau Motel, where they worked diligently for seven years. Marian had a special talent for beautifying spaces, transforming the motel into something truly special. After selling their businesses, the couple moved to Riverton, where they built their dream home on 16 acres of land. In 2012, Marian and Don moved to Arizona, where they resided with family until each of their passings.
Marian was a loving wife, devoted mother, and exceptional grandmother. She cherished spending time with her grandchildren — reading stories, exploring nature, baking treats, and crafting homemade jams and jellies from berries grown in her garden. Birthdays and holidays in her home were magical occasions filled with love and joy.
As a mother, Marian made life enchanting for her children. Christmases were like fairy tales, and she created special memories by taking her children on individual outings like trips to Little America or picnics on Bradley Pass.
She took her teenagers on car rides to listen to pop music and “drag main.” She even indulged her daughter’s request to drive by a crush’s house, creating a moment of cherished fun.
In Riverton, Marian opened a shop where she sold beautiful antique dishware. She cultivated stunning rose gardens, her favorite flowers. She inspired everyone around her with her grace, resilience in the face of challenges, and devotion to family. Her younger sisters, Susan and Barbara, credit her with teaching them the art of mothering, cooking, and homemaking.
Marian was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Donald Walker Juvan; parents, Austin and Annie Nelson; siblings, John Nelson (infant), Doris Daneluk, Sally Hill and Paul Nelson.
She is survived by her siblings, Susan (Jack-deceased) Hales, Barbara (Jack) Magdiel and Thomas Nelson; her four children, Donald (Berenice) Juvan, Gayle (Jim) Cooper, Kimberly (Shane) Isabell and Jill (Roger) Smith; 13 grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren.
Marian was a gracious, loving, and inspirational woman whose presence will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.
